Battery



UNlTME l earn-ir MAURICE Pl/PKIN, OF NAGOGDDCHES, TEXAS, ASSIGNR T GOULD STORAGE BATTERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF jiW "."L'RQ BATTERY.

Application filed May 15j To altro/m t may concern l K le it known that I, lila-Union E. PIPKIN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Nacogdoches, county of Nacogdoches, and State oli Texas, have invented new and use ful improvements in Batteries, set forth i the annexed specification and drawing tormsels where it is necessary to economize space as much as possible, it will be described with reference to a battery of this type wherein the length of thev plates is considerably in excess ot the width thereof. And as the receptacles of such batteries are as small as pos sible withinl the limits of -the amount of electrolyte required, it is necessary that the plates shall be held at all times in very close approximation to their true and proper positions and not subject to shifting as the )ar 1s canted or vibrated, 1n the manner incident to such use.

A further object of' my invention is to provide a structure wherein large and heavy plates may be assembled and held in their correct positions with respect to each other, in such manner that they may then be easily and as a unit placed into a receptacle affording small clearance, and, when necessary, withdrawn therefrom as a unit with as little inconvenience as possible.

Figure l is a section of a jar or receptacle and elevation of the plates or electrodes of a battery of this type comprehending my invention.

Fig. 2 4is a perspective .showing the arrangement of portions of the plates of the battery of Fig. l.

In the drawing, 1 represents any suitable type ot jar or receptacle for containing the battery elements and electrolyte and preferably provided atits upper end with an expanded portion in the direction of the width' of the plates, which portion vis pro- 1918. Serial No. 234,620.

vided'with beveled ledges 2 Jor supporting the plates. The positive and negative plates are preferably all substantially of the same external configuration and are preferablyr provided on one side with a beveled ear or lug 3 adapted to lrest upon the beveled portion 2 of the jar or receptacle. `The oppo site side of each plateV is preferably provided with a lug or ear .4, beveled on its lower side in substantially thesalne manner as the lower side oit the ear or lug 8 but positioned. nearer the top of the plate so that when a number ot negative plates 5 are united to a bus-bar 6, as by burning the same to the usual connectinglugs 7, and a suitable number of positive plates 8 are united with the busbar 9, as by burning the lugs l0 thereto, and the positions of the plates with respect to each other reversed, they may `then be nested with a positive between each pair of Specification of Letters Patent. Pattlrlttl EGG. ,28, T921).

negatives in the usual manner and se arated therefrom as by usual separators 14. And the lugs 3 of the plates of one rpolarity will allbe onone side of the assemblage, while the lugsv 8 of the opposite polarity will. all be on the opposite side, which relationship will also be true of the lugs Li. And I insert between the lugs 4 of the lplates oi one polarity, and theupper side o't` the lugs 3 ot the plates of the opposite polarity, beveled insulating strips or members 1l, which in effecty dove-tail the platesv Then, if the total assemblage l together. ot' plates belifted by means of the connectors 12 united to the bus-bar 6 and the connectors 13 united to the bus-bar 9, gravity will tend to cause the plates united 'to the har G to swing in a clockwise direction and those united to the bar 9 in a counter-clockwise direction, with the effect that the lugs 't of the plates united to the busbar 6 will crowd the member ll engaged thereby downwardly upon the lugs 3 ot' the set oit plates attached to the bus-bar 9; while the lugs 4 of the plates united with the bar 9 will press downwardly upon the member 11 engaged thereby and crowd the same down upon the upper surface of the lugs 3 of the opposite set of plates. And in this manner the plates will all be rmly locked in their properpositions and may be moved from place to place and easily loweredA as a unit into a close-titting receptacle, as desired. T he usual sepa.- rators indicated at 14 are placed between the plates, as is customary, and they rnav loe loo , moved as above outlined, by means of per- `forations in the tops ofthe separators engaged by an insulating rod 15; and, when the battery is in place in lts jar or recepe tacle, they may be supported by -any of the usual ribs extending upwardly from the bottom of the jar, as shovvn at 16, if desired., When the plates are lowered into the jar or receptacle and the lugs 3 rest upon the beveled portion 2, the plates will all be held firmly locked together by their own weight and will be held in proper position Within the jar by engagement of the beveled portions 2, and the Weight of the plates will not tend to bulge or otherwise. distort the jar, even under the action of continued vibra tion. And, as the jar is rocked-or canted, the great Weight of the plates upon the beveled faces of the various supports Will prevent the plates from shifting or working in the receptacles.

Any suitable type of cover, as indicated l at 17, may be employed, and the same is` merely indicated in a conventional form here as it forms no particular part of my present invention, which has for oneof its important objects to hold the plates in such rigid relationship with respect to the jar that such cover may safely be made gas-tight 'with respect to the lugs 12 and 13, and also rigidly cemented, as indicated at 18, to the jar Without danger of undue strains caused by shifting of the plates.

do not Wish in any Way to limit myself to any of the exact details of construction nor modes of operation above described for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment oi' my invention, for it willy be obvious that many departures may be 4made Without departlng from the spirit and scope of my invention, which is as set Aforth in the following claims. l V 1. A battery comprehending a plurality of plates provided with engaging means, an

insulatingmember engaged thereby and supported by the plate serving to retain the same in proper relative positions, and means for supporting the plates by engagement with the above mentioned engaging meaps. 2. A battery comprehending a plurality .of plates each provided with engaging means, an insulating member engaged thereby and supported by certain plates and supporting other of the plates by engagement with the respective engaging means thereof, combined with means for supporting all of the plates by engagement with certain of the aforesaid engaging means. i

.3; The combination with a plurality of plates of different polarity, each provided with similar engaging means, insulating means carried by the engaging means of one polarity andl supportingthe engaging means of another polarity, and means engaging certain of the engaging means and supporting the plates. v

4. The combination with a plurality of positive plates and a plurality of negative plates each provided with engaging means, of insulating means carried by the engaging means of each polarity and su porting the engaging means of the opposlte polarity,

and means for supporting the thus engaged p lates from points below the above mentioned engagement.

5. The combination with -a plurality of l an engaging means of the opposite polarity,

of a receptacle containing said plates comprehending means for supporting the same by engagement Withthe engaging means thereof.

7. The combinationl with a plurality of plates provided with interlocking 4means comprehending an insulating member on each side of the plates engaged by thereof, a receptacle for the p ates, and means for supporting' the interlocked plates by the engagement with certain plates at one sido of the receptacle and other plates at the opposite side of" the receptacle.

MAURICE E. PIPKIN.

portions 

